Milkha singh biography book

Having said that, the book bears real life pictures of Milkha Singh and the key people in his life, which were a major plus point in the autobiography. I could connect to the narration having seen how Dr. Besides, the record breaking sports event pictures in black and white. The book sure makes up an inspiring story of an extraordinary man who refused to be outpaced by life or circumstances.

My thirst to know the towering sportsman of Indian sports history was barely quenched by this slim page autobiography. Even I was so touched by the movie that only after I started reading articles about Milka Singh. May be I will pick it up sometime. Like Like. Glad I happen to read that he has now captured his life into a book. Skip to content.

All pictures are copyrighted by the publisher. The picture has been taken only for illustration purpose. Expected the book to be even more detailed. This book is a no-frills autobiography of a man who fought over his childhood trauma of having his family massacred in the partition era and ended up being one of the most successful athletes from India, with significant achievements on the global stage.

It's a pleasant read and conveys the simplicity of the village boy who ran his way to glory, beating all odds. The book covers his successes as his less happy moments with equal emotion, and the champion makes no excuses for the races he didn't win. He has mentioned missing out on an Olympic medal as a big regret; the book depicts the human being behind the athlete and the runner.

Many people would have seen the movie, but this is a short read that presents a non-nonsense depiction of the champion's life from the horse's mouth. Salute to him for everything, including helping develop the sports infrastructure in Punjab. It probably explains why many sportspersons in India, from hockey to athletics, especially in the 80s and 90s, came from one state.

It's a book for anyone who has an aim and wants to know how much effort is needed to achieve it. Milkha Singh sacrificed all pleasures and invested wholeheartedly to reach the finish line as the fastest m runner. He practised hours daily without any excuses of ill-health or bad weather or being tired or bored ; anyone who can do that will complete dedication would succeed in their mission too, and that to me is the most important learning from this book.

Thank you, sir! All the events are so well explained and his life is for sure inspiration for everyone. The discipline and strictness he had built while training fetch great results for him as well as for India. In the last two chapters, he explained the policies reformation needed in sports. I felt all the methods and things mentioned are true to sports and we need many reforms and learn methodology from China, USA and other nations how their sports run and develop inculcating methods from these countries.

As he died, India surely going to miss her Flying Shikh. His last wish got fulfilled by Neeraj Chopra in Olympics this year. Nidhi Dubey. This book's readability is commendable. Simple language filled short and gripping chapters work well to connvey the inspiring story of Milkha Singh's extraordinary life. The account of his success that comes from sheer hardwork and focus despite unimaginable struggles has an immediate impact of instilling the reader with a very milkha singh biography book fighting spirit.

Avnish Anand. This is a short and sweet autobiography of Milkha Singh. Sporting biographies generally fall into two categories. There are the truly great ones with lots of new insights and information about the person. Like Ali, Agassi and Larwood. Then there are the truly rubbish ones. Which are just a waste of time. This one is in the middle somewhere.

Milkha Singh the person was a simple man with a great dream, a large heart and a difficult past. In this book, he tells his story with all his honesty and simplicity. Its straight from the heart without unnecessary embellishment.

Milkha singh biography book: In this well-researched and lucid

It has its share of stories and covers the key episodes. I knew a lot about Milkha SIngh before I read this book. I ended up knowing him a little better after this book. Every Indian sports fan should read this. Will take one long sitting. This is an autobiography which speaks of speed, balance and the grace to surge ahead in the face of all odds.

Milkha Singh states that while reflecting upon his life, he can clearly perceive how his passion for running has dominated his life. Thereafter, he speaks of seven images which flash through his mind. Although I am not a man of words, I hope this book can inspire the milkha singh biography book to take up sports and strive to excel. Hard work can change destiny as I know only too well—my entire life has been dedicated to it.

My early years were a struggle, but as I gradually started to achieve results, my name and fame grew. I won competitions and medals, except for the elusive Olympic gold, which I will always regret, and yet I have always been content because I kept trying. The legend writes his story in the most simpleminded fashion. It's an easy read and an encouraging account.

He renders the prominence of setting convincing but aspiring goals at different stages of his life and directs all his effort on attaining these aims one after the other. And yet, even after beholding such a great amount of revulsion and despondency, his resolve to bealive to every treasurable moment of life to the completest is what folklores are made off.

Almost simultaneously, borders were being drawn along the west and the east that would divide the subcontinent. We found ourselves on the wrong side of the border. Almost overnight, the unrest intensified, plunging the lands along the newly drawn borders into chaos and confusion. People no longer behaved like human beings, they had become animals.

Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were brutally massacred, thousands of homes destroyed, mothers lost their husbands and children. There was only bloodshed everywhere. Singh writes about his pleasure about being selected to represent India at the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Even though his presentation at the occasion was unsatisfactory, he met numerous foreign sportspeople, such as Charles Jenkins, America's top athlete who gave him appreciated pointers in running.

But his selection was beset with thorns. Once again, some of my colleagues reacted in a negative fashion, and I was constantly subjected to snide remarks, but I chose to ignore their jibes. I did not allow their animosity to come in the way of my aim and kept practising hard. Thereafter something extraordinary happened. The night before the selection race, I was suddenly jolted out of a deep slumber by a hard hit on my legs.

They continued to hit me with sticks, and only stopped when my screams alerted my companions in the barrack. By the time help arrived, my assailants had fled. Even though I could not see them, I knew who they were but never had the proof to confront them directly. I only knew that I had become such a threat that people thought the only way to prevent me from winning was by breaking my legs.

This was also the first time I realized there are people who firmly believe in taking short cuts to excel in sports. I revered it like I would the sanctum sanctorum in a temple, where the deity resided and before whom I would humbly prostrate myself as a devotee. To keep myself steadfast to my goal, I renounced all pleasures and distractions, to keep myself fit and healthy, and dedicated my life to the ground where I could practise and run.

Running had thus become my God, my religion and my beloved," he says. His life reads like a rainbow of many vivacious hues. The illustrious metre champion, disreputably lost the final race of his life—the Rome Olympics. In the tome Singh details his heartwrenching loss. I knew that I could have won, but perhaps, luck was not on my side that day.

The one medal I had yearned for throughout my career had just slipped through my fingers because of one small error of judgement. Even today, if I look back on my life, there are only two milkha singh biographies book that still haunt me—the massacre of my family during Partition and my defeat at Rome," writes Singh. Son Jeev Millkha Singh, a specialized golfer writes in the primer, "I think the greatest gift he has given me, apart from his genes, is not knowing the meaning of the word 'impossible', and his never-say-die attitude, is the wonderful support and guidance in helping me chart my own life and career.

At the same time we realize that Milkha is a man with an iron backbone and steel resolve when it comes to principles. When the award was introduced inits premise was very clear—that it would only be granted to those outstanding sportspeople who had received medals in international events, including the Olympic, Asian and Commonwealth games.

When I looked at the list I discovered that it included even team members for games which have no global presence like kabbadi, which is played in just four countries. I brought this and other examples of unworthy candidates to the notice of the then minister of sports, Uma Bharati, and told her that I considered it a farce to be included in the same list of nominees who have not even represented their country.

It was as if the Arjunas had been given away like prasad, to any and everybody, ignoring those who truly deserve them.

Milkha singh biography book: Born in in undivided

Moreover, why has it taken so long for my achievements to be acknowledged and recognized? My refusal made headline news, but as far as I was concerned, if the government had wanted to offer me an Arjuna, why did it take them forty years? Although I am not a man of words, I hope this book can inspire the youth to take up sports and strive to excel," he writes.

Anand Dubey. Very easy read - along the lines of the movie. It covers major events of Milkha Singh's life. Had expected some more detail. Inspirational read, nevertheless. Joseph Moses. The autobiography is a compelling and passionate narrative of Padma Shri Milkha Singh of his yesteryears. He has been and will continue to be a personal inspiration for me.

The book captures his persona so vividly. Milkha Singh personifies "mental grit, sheer determination and relentless pursuit of dreams". His autobiography takes us through his passionate life, from the perils of Partition he witnessed, his struggles through his adolescence, him discovering the sport m track runningwhich later becomes his religion and his rise to fame as international sensation in athletics.

The book will certainly inspire, as did he through his life. Rishika S. Author 2 books 13 followers. A raw take on the joy and pain that turned Milkha Singh into The Flying Sikh, The race of my life is a quick and emotional read with high impact. It leaves little to the imagination as Milkha Singh unabashedly recounts the horrors of the Partition and the difficulties that followed.

And then, it shows you the ability of the human mind to turn such horror into the impetus that can drive someone to achieve greatness. The book also gives you a deeper insight into the mentality of a sportsman and the manners in which performances of athletes can be affected by milkha singh biographies book seeming so mundane to others. Most importantly, the book relates how hard work and determination can help you achieve anything on which you set your heart.

And it does it all effortlessly. The best part about the autobiography is that you get to see the life of a man who came from the simplest of beginnings to achieve great success, and you get to see it from his point of view. You get to experience the wonder and amazement that he did on his first trip out of the country, the pride at bringing honor to his country, the unparalleled joy of victory, and even the bitterness of defeat.

Milkha Singh has not minced his words or sugar coated the grueling dedication it takes to achieve such success. It is a blatant and open look into what makes great sportspeople great. And in being that, it evokes passion within readers to find such dedication within themselves. Yet, it helps those people who yearn to make a name for themselves in sports become completely aware of the journey on which they're setting forth.

It isn't only about glory and fame. Milkha Singh paints a clear picture on the drawbacks that exist in the sports infrastructure of the country and is explicit about the problems and challenges that can be expected. He even offers advice on bringing about positive change and he does all of this while calling upon his own experience as an athlete and as a sports administrator.

Emotional and direct, The race of my life is a book everyone must read, whether you are interested in sports or not and whether you've seen the movie or not; because the book is more than the recounts of an athlete, it is the telling of an incredible journey that can be an inspiration to everyone as it depicts that sometimes, from great adversity, comes great ambition.

Gagan Gill.

Milkha singh biography book: The Race of My Life: An

I thought I wasn't going to start a new book for some time. Today I sit here having finished this one in about 2 sittings. There isn't much to say about Milkha Singh that hasn't been made known to the world by the film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. So I'll talk about the book itself, something new I discovered about the celebrated athlete in the way this book has been written.

The film dramatized events of his life to great effect, which was what I expected reading this book. Milkha became disenchanted with his life and considered becoming a dacoit [ b ] but was instead persuaded by one of his brothers, Malkhan, to attempt recruitment to the Indian Army. He successfully gained entrance on his fourth attempt, inand while stationed at the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre [ 12 ] in Secunderabad and he was introduced to athletics.

He had run the 10 km distance to and from school as a child and was selected by the army for special training in athletics after finishing sixth in a compulsory cross-country run for new recruits. Milkha represented India in the m and m milkha singh biographies book of the Melbourne Olympic Games. InSingh set records for the m and m in the National Games of Indiaheld at Cuttack[ 12 ] and also won gold medals in the same events at the Asian Games.

He then won a gold medal in the m yards at this time competition at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games with a time of Singh was persuaded by Jawaharlal Nehru to set aside his memories of the Partition era to race successfully in against Abdul Khaliq in Pakistan, where a post-race comment by the then General Ayub Khan led to him acquiring the nickname of The Flying Sikh.

However, he made an error when leading the race at m, slowing down in the belief that his pace could not be sustained and looking round at his fellow competitors. Singh believes that these errors caused him to lose his medal opportunity and they are his "worst memory". Davis and Kaufman were both timed at a world-record breaking At the Asian Games, held in JakartaSingh won gold in the m [ 11 ] and in the 4 x m relay.

There have been claims that Singh won 77 of his 80 races, [ 12 ] but these are spurious. The number of races in which he participated is not verified, nor is the number of victories, but he lost a m race at the National Games in Calcutta to Makhan Singh [ 22 ] and he did not finish first in any of his four races at the Olympic Games [ 15 ] or the aforementioned qualification races at the Olympics.

Singh's time in the Olympics m final, which was run on a cinder trackset a national record that stood until when Paramjit Singh exceeded it on a synthetic track and with fully automatic timing that recorded Although Singh's Olympic result of As of [update]Singh lived in Chandigarh. Singh was promoted from the rank of sepoy to junior commissioned officer in recognition of his successes in the Asian Games.

Inhe turned down an offer of the Arjuna Award from the Indian government, arguing that it was intended to recognise young sports people and not those such as him. He also thought that the award was being inappropriately given to people who had little notable involvement as active sports people at all, and had become devalued. It was like being offered an SSC [secondary school] certificate after securing a Masters degree.

All of Singh's medals have been donated to the nation. They were displayed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi and later moved to a sports museum in Patiala[ 12 ] where a pair of running shoes that he wore in Rome are also displayed. His condition was, for a while, described as stable, but he died on 18 June at pm in Chandigarh. It was published in In SeptemberSingh's wax statue — created by sculptors of Madame Tussauds in London — was unveiled at Chandigarh.

It depicts Singh in running posture during his victorious run at the Commonwealth Games. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools.

Milkha singh biography book: A very good and quick read

Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item. Indian athlete — For the Indian Test cricketer, see A. Milkha Singh. Nirmal Saini. Medal record. Early life [ edit ]. International career [ edit ]. Personal life [ edit ]. Later life and death [ edit ]. Media and popular culture [ edit ]. Records and honours [ edit ].

Awards [ edit ]. Honours [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. Bibliography [ edit ]. Notes [ edit ]. Records in Pakistan note it as 20 November Other records note it as 17 October and 20 November The birth date on his passport is 20 November Some cricketers attain the rank of honorary colonel and in Singh was outspoken in his desire to see promotion for Vijay Kumarwho had won a silver medal at the London Olympics.

References [ edit ].